1 April 2026

Meeting to review the results of the comprehensive inspection of the Armed Forces

On April 1, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko convened a meeting to review the results of a comprehensive inspection of the Armed Forces. Around 300 people took part in the meeting with the Head of State, including commanders of formations involved in the inspection.

A large-scale inspection of the Armed Forces, ordered by the President, had been conducted in Belarus since January 16. A key feature of the inspection was how it was organised. The Head of State placed military units on combat readiness directly, bypassing the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff. Specific goals were set during the inspection: to obtain an objective picture, assess the real state of the troops, and evaluate the actions of servicemen. That is why the measures were conducted without prior notice.

The President signed an order classified as “secret,” setting out the plan for the upcoming inspection. State Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Volfovich received a sealed package containing the document and travelled to the military unit specified by the Head of State. At the instruction of the Belarusian leader, Chairman of the State Control Committee Vasily Gerasimov was also involved in conducting the inspection.

Alexander Lukashenko kept the progress of the inspection under personal control, regularly hearing reports fr om the State Secretary of the Security Council. At the same time, the Head of State said that the inspection results would be reviewed at a separate event. “There are shortcomings, but overall the army is combat-ready. We will sort out the specifics later,” the President noted in a conversation with journalists.

Addressing the meeting participants, Alexander Lukashenko proposed holding an absolutely frank discussion of the inspection results, without concealing anything. “Although it was a planned inspection, it was the first one on such a large scale in the history of independent Belarus,” the President stressed.

The Head of State emphasised that there was effectively one task: to see how units placed on full combat readiness would act under wartime conditions. “For me, these inspections in peacetime are a waste of money. We have no extra money,” the Belarusian leader stated.

“There can be no peacetime. We are preparing for war. This is why we created the Armed Forces, why we maintain them, and why the people contribute money to support us. And people in this audience — and not only in this audience — must understand: we are absolutely against war. Especially our officers, our soldiers, our Armed Forces. Because we know what war is. We do not want war, but this is what an army is intended for. If someone decides to speak to us and look at us through the sights of weapons, we will respond. That is what we are preparing for,” the Head of State said. “Unfortunately, I cannot fight without you. And I want my subordinates to be ready to fight. If we are ready to fight, they will fear us — which is important — and no one will come here. That is my goal. I think you understand it well.”

The President expressed confidence that in a possible military conflict, such factors as officer training, the level of servicemen’s proficiency with weapons, physical fitness, and the condition of armaments and military equipment would be important. “This is the foundation of survival and victory in battle,” the Head of State said.

“The responsibility for the country, for our peaceful and friendly people in their worldview, rests enormously on each of you,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed.

The Belarusian leader once again noted that the comprehensive inspection of the Armed Forces was conducted on an unprecedentedly large and strict scale and was covered rather actively in the media. “I will say at once that it was covered in the way that perhaps most of you would have wanted. Because we would not want to show all the bad things that exist in our army, above all to our potential rivals, or perhaps opponents or enemies,” he added.

The Head of State noted that servicemen often held the view that the comprehensive inspection of the Armed Forces would not differ fr om previous inspections and that everything would proceed as usual. “As usual, men, it will not be. I want to warn you why it will not be so with me. Because I do not intend to adapt to you — you will adapt to the Commander-in-Chief. If you want to stay alive in a future war, God forbid it happens. And if we continue as some of us have been doing, not only will we not remain alive, but neither will our subordinates. I see this fr om modern military clashes and wars,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

The President noted that those involved in the inspection were placed in conditions as close as possible to real challenges: “I would put it even more precisely: conditions of war, with no allowances for the weather, time of day, or other factors complicating the fulfilment of combat missions. You remember what the weather was like,” he stated.

The Commander-in-Chief indicated that the inspection involved military units and permanent-readiness subdivisions of the Western and North-Western Operational Commands, the Special Operations Forces, the Air Force, and Air Defence Forces. “Further, on my orders, we will mobilise a separate unit, reinforce it if necessary, and genuinely learn how to fight,” he stressed.

At the President’s instruction, the state of weapons and equipment in formations and military units under central command was inspected by the State Secretariat of the Security Council jointly with the State Control Committee. “The State Control Committee must know what is happening with military property and assets. The State Control Committee primarily ensures oversight of state property and its condition,” the Belarusian leader said.

The Head of State named another important task of the State Control Committee, including during the inspection of the Armed Forces’ readiness, as monitoring the use of public funds and the state budget: “All of us are funded by the budget. That is why the State Control Committee was involved.”

In addition, other instruments available to the Commander-in-Chief were used to obtain an objective assessment of the Armed Forces’ condition. In this regard, the Head of State stated that dishonesty had not yet been completely eliminated in the army. “In order to know wh ere you are lying and wh ere you are not, and wh ere our inspection is taking place, all special units of the State Security Committee, the Operational and Analytical Centre, the Prosecutor’s Office, and the Investigative Committee — everyone — were mobilised. Especially the KGB counterintelligence bodies that provide counterintelligence support. Everyone was mobilised. But I understand that they also wear uniforms, and you have strong corporate solidarity. Therefore, I demanded from them: the most primary information must be on my desk,” Alexander Lukashenko added.

As for the level of tasks, the pace of their assignment and implementation, all of this was determined by the seriousness of the geopolitical situation, worsening developments, and threats forming in the immediate vicinity of Belarusian borders. The President drew attention to the fairly broad circle of leaders of other states whom he knows well and communicates with regularly. Together with many years of work experience, this allows him to form an opinion about the international situation and events unfolding around the world.

“I am an informed person. You know that we are conducting negotiations with the Americans. And my life and work experience, including military service, helps me draw appropriate conclusions from smiles, hugs, kisses, and so on — with the Americans all the way to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. I am not even talking about China and Russia. I have long-standing relations with the leadership of these countries — and not only with the leadership,” Alexander Lukashenko added.

“The Armed Forces’ readiness to repel an enemy and their ability to respond instantly to any aggressive movement toward our borders are the only possible guarantee of peace and state security,” the President stated.

“I very often and repeatedly tell Generals Khrenin and Tertel — Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin and Chairman of the State Security Committee Ivan Tertel: guys, the main thing I need from you is for you to warn me about a possible or actual attack on Belarus. If we know nothing about it, the war will be over for us. This also comes from the experience of the special military operation,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed.

At the same time, as the Head of State noted, the Defence Minister and the Chief of the General Staff regularly report that they do not see any concentration of enemy troops near Belarus’ borders. In this regard, Alexander Lukashenko expressed confidence that no one would concentrate troops before an offensive, as happened during the Great Patriotic War, since the nature of warfare has changed significantly. The experience of the special military operation also indicates this.

“For example, if Poland, Lithuania, or NATO suddenly wanted to fight us, who would prevent them from identifying a point — near Kobrin, for instance — for assembling and concentrating their Armed Forces? They would show a point on the map and enter our territory. In battalion tactical groups, small formations, as we see in Ukraine. And if necessary, they would concentrate in the direction of the main strike,” Alexander Lukashenko said. “Could this not happen? Yet Viktor Gennadyevich [Viktor Khrenin] is waiting for them to concentrate in their thousands somewhere near Warsaw and move toward us in columns. It could happen, but I would not accept such a report from the General Staff before the start of an operation. The situation has changed. They are not fools. They know what they want from us and what we will pay attention to.”